London's 35-year acting career began in films in 1944 and included playing opposite Gary Cooper in Man of the West (1958) and Robert Mitchum in The Wonderful Country (1959). She achieved continuing success in the TV medical drama Emergency! (1972–1979), co-starring her real-life husband, Bobby Troup, and produced by her ex-husband, Jack Webb, in which London played the female lead role of nurse Dixie McCall. She and Randolph Mantooth, who played one-half of her medical students, a paramedic, in the series, were very close to her family, until her death in 2000.
Born in Santa Rosa, California, she was the daughter of Jack and Josephine Peck, who were a vaudeville song-and-dance team. When she was fourteen the family moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, she began appearing in movies. She graduated from the Hollywood Professional High School in 1945.
London began singing under the name Gayle Peck in public in her teens before appearing in a film. She was discovered by talent agent Sue Carol (wife of actor Alan Ladd), while working as an elevator operator. Her early film career, however, did not include any singing roles.
London recorded 32 albums in a career that began in 1955 with a live performance at the 881 Club in Los Angeles. Billboard named her the most popular female vocalist for 1955, 1956, and 1957. She was the subject of a 1957 Life cover article in which she was quoted as saying, "It's only a thimbleful of a voice, and I have to use it close to the microphone. But it is a kind of oversmoked voice, and it automatically sounds intimate."
London's debut recordings were for the Bethlehem Records label. While shopping for a record deal, she recorded four tracks that would later be included on the compilation album Bethlehem's Girlfriends in 1955. Bobby Troup backed London on the album, for which London recorded the standards "Don't Worry About Me", "Motherless Child", "A Foggy Day", and "You're Blasé".
London's most famous single, "Cry Me a River", was written by her high-school classmate Arthur Hamilton and produced by Troup. The recording became a million-seller after its release in December 1955 and also sold on reissue in April 1983 from the attention brought by a Mari Wilson cover. London performed the song in the film The Girl Can't Help It (1956), and her recording gained later attention in the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006). The song "Yummy Yummy Yummy" was featured on the HBO television series Six Feet Under and appears on its soundtrack album. London's "Must Be Catchin'" was featured in the 2011 premiere episode of the ABC series Pan Am. Her last recording was "My Funny Valentine" for the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds film Sharky's Machine (1981).
Other popular singles include "Hot Toddy", "Daddy", and "Desafinado". Recordings such as "Go Slow" epitomized her career style: her voice is slow, smoky, and playfully sensual.
She was married to Jack Webb, of Dragnet fame. Her obvious beauty and self-poise (she was a pinup girl prized by GIs during World War II) contrasted with his pedestrian appearance and stiff-as-a-board acting technique (much parodied by impersonators). This unlikely pairing arose from his and her love for jazz; their marriage lasted from July 1947 to November 1953. They had two daughters, one who was killed in a traffic accident in the 1990s and one who survived London. In 1954, having become somewhat reclusive after her divorce from Jack Webb, she met jazz composer and musician Bobby Troup at a club on La Brea Blvd. They married on December 31, 1959 and remained married until Troup's death in February 1999. Together, they had one daughter and twin sons.
London suffered a stroke in 1995, and was in poor health until her death in Encino, California, at the age of seventy-four, survived by four of her five children. She died on18th October 2000, and was buried in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Vaya Con Dios
Julie London Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now the time has come to part, the time for weeping,
Vaya Con Dios, my darling,
May God be with you, my love.
Now the village mission bells are softly ringing,
If you listen with your heart, you'll hear them singing.
Now the time has come to part, the time for weeping,
Vaya Con Dios, my darling,
May God be with you, my love.
Wherever you may be, I'll be beside you,
Although you're many million dreams away.
Each night I 'll say a pray'r, a pray'r to guide you,
To hasten every lonely hour of ev'ry lonely day.
Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow,
But the memories we share are there to borrow.
Vaya Con Dios, my darling,
May God be with you, my love.
The song "Vaya Con Dios" by Julie London is a heartbreaking farewell ballad that speaks of parting with a loved one. The song is set in a hacienda where the town is sleeping, and the time has come to part ways, and it's a time for weeping. The singer says goodbye to her darling, saying "Vaya Con Dios," which translates to "Go with God." She wishes her love the best and prays that God will be with them always. The soft ringing of village mission bells can be heard, and if you listen with your heart, you'll hear them singing, marking the end of a beautiful love story.
The singer promises to be beside her love, no matter where they will be. Even though they may be millions of dreams away from each other, she will say a prayer every night to guide them and to make their lonely hours pass quickly. As the dawn breaks through a gray tomorrow, the memories they shared are there to borrow, even though the singer is now alone. She ends the song by saying "Vaya Con Dios, my darling, may God be with you, my love," reminding her love that she will always love them, and they will always be in her heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the hacienda's dark, the town is sleeping,
It's late and quiet in the town, with the home empty and the streets still.
Now the time has come to part, the time for weeping,
It's time to say goodbye, and it's sad and emotional.
Vaya Con Dios, my darling,
Go with God, my love.
May God be with you, my love.
I hope God will watch over and protect you.
Now the village mission bells are softly ringing,
The church bells are chiming quietly in the distance.
If you listen with your heart, you'll hear them singing.
If you pay attention to your emotions, you can feel the beauty and love in the world.
Wherever you may be, I'll be beside you,
No matter where you are, I will support you.
Although you're many million dreams away.
Even though there's a great distance between us.
Each night I 'll say a pray'r, a pray'r to guide you,
Every night I will pray for your guidance and protection.
To hasten every lonely hour of ev'ry lonely day.
To try to make time pass more quickly and to bring comfort to your lonely moments.
Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow,
The new day is beginning, even though it looks gloomy.
But the memories we share are there to borrow.
We can always remember the happy moments we had together.
Vaya Con Dios, my darling,
Go with God, my love.
May God be with you, my love.
I hope God will watch over and protect you.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Buddy Pepper, Inez James, Larry Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind